Typepad has a nice feature that lets you schedule a post for publication at a later date, so I'm scheduling this for Christmas day. Two items to note:
From the FT, "Fir flies as Danish Xmas tree growers charged":
Denmark’s Christmas tree growers, the biggest exporters of the trees in Europe, have been charged with organising a cartel as prices this year spike by up to 25 per cent.
...
Almost half of Danish exports go to Germany – the biggest producer in the EU – and 15 per cent go to the UK and France.
And from the AP, how the U.S. dollar's decline is hurting Canadian Christmas tree exports: "The drooping value of the U.S. dollar means Canadian Christmas tree growers are seeing less green this season."